Continuous-trough conveyer



(No Model.) I 2 sheets-sheet 1.

J. POLLOCK.

CONTINUOUS THOUGH GONVBYBB..

`(No ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. POLLOCK. CONTINUOUS TROUGH GONVEYER.

No. 483,475 Patented Sept. 27, 1892. .3 ,9 i i 1 E? E E E 4 o o t ZIJ I l o o o ,2 i D O a a E L.

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UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES POLLOCK, OF IVILKES-BARR, PENNSYLVANIA.`

CONTINUOUS-THOUGH CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 483,475, dated September 27, 1892.

Application iiled J'uly 11, 1892. Serial No. 439,634. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs PoLLocK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilkes- Barr, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Continuous-Trough Conveyers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to conveyers; and it consists in an endless-trough conveyer having acontinuous flexible bottom and telescopic g or overlapping sides, constructed and arranged as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like reference-signs refer to similar parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a conveyer embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan thereof. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. a is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. l.

The object of my invention is to produce a conveyer which is simple and durable in construction and in which the operatingfriction and wear shall be reduced to a minimum. The conveyers in common use at present for transporting material in horizontal or inclined directions consist largely in stationary troughs along which the material is drawn or scraped by means of flights or buckets on an endless chain. The loss of power through friction of the material upon a trough in this class of conveyers is very great. In my present invention I use a continuous iiexible plate or band, preferably of metal, for the bottom of the trough, and construct the sides of the trough of metal plates jointed together, so as to permit of the conveyer passing around the pulleys or drums. By the use of the endlessplate bottom the driving strain is transmitted along the conveyer without affecting the joints between the side plates, and thus there is practically no wear of said joints, excepting that due to passing around the end pulleys, which is very slight.

Referring to the drawings, l indicates the bottom of the trough. This bottom consists of a band or plate of metal of suitable width and sufficiently thin to pass around the end pulleys or drums without receiving any permanent set or injury due to the curvature it undergoes. The sides of the trough are composed of inside plates 2 and alternate outside plates 3, which lap over the plates 2 suiiiciently to make close joints and permit of the necessary pivotal connection between them. Bars 4, the bodies of which are preferably square, are riveted or otherwise securely fastened to the bottom l at regular intervals. The ends 5 of these bars are round and extend through the overlapping portions of the side plates 2 3 to a sufficient distance to engage and rest within the sockets 6 in the peripheries of the end supporting-wheels 7. 'The bars 4: thus form the pivots of the side pieces, the connections between the bottom and sides, and also the means of connecting the trough with the driving-wheels, and the angular portions of the bars between the sides of the trough form stops or rifies to prevent the material within the trough from slipping backward when being conveyed up an incline.

\ Between each pair of side plates 2 I arrange smaller rectangular plates 8 and securely fasten them to the corresponding outside plates 3. The plates 8 are in length exactly equal to the distance between two adjacent inside plates 2 when the said inside plates are in line with each other, so that the series of plates 2 and S form practically-continuous walls for the trough. The bottom plate fits closely against this inside wall, so as to prevent the escape of any material contained in the trough. The plates 8 may or may not extendto the upper edges of the trough, as desired; but they 4should extend near enough to the upper edge to prevent the upper or loaded portion of the trough from sagging. In other words, the continuous line of plates 2 and 8 form rigid girders upon the upper or Working portion of the trough. The lower corners of the plates 2 should be slightly rounded or beveled to prevent their interference with the plates S in passing round the end pulleys 7. As shown in the drawings, the plates 8 only extend upward about twothirds of the height of the sides 2 3, and above said plates each pair of outside plates 3 is connected by tie-bars 9 to prevent the trough sides from spreading. The edges of the sides of the trough form continuous rails, which in the case of long conveyers should be supported at intervals by stationary pulleys or rollers l0 underneath the loaded portion of the trough and similar pulleys 11 underneath IOO the empty portion. As shown, the end pulleys 7 are arranged in pairs upon suitable supporting-shafts, either of which may be the driving-shaft. To keep the pulleys properly spaced, I connect them by two or more transverse tie-bars l2. It will be evident that in passing around the pulleys 7 the bottom of the trough must be made to curve uniformly, as permanentinj ury would result if any kinks or angles were formed in it. At the same time, on account of the rigidity of the sides, the pivot-bars 5 always remain the same distance apart whether the bottom'be straight or curved. In order to allow for the curvature of the bottom plate, it is attached to the inside of the rods 4, and it therefore travels around the pulleys upon a circle of smaller radius than the circle drawn through the axes of the said rods. The difference of the radii 0f the circles passing through the journals 5 and through the bottom plate is such that a cord of the former circle is equal to an arc of the latter circle for the same angle. Thus without straining any of the parts the bottom assumes a curve concentric with the pulleys, while the sides remain straight and rigid.

Among the advantages of my improved con struction it Will be noted that the bottom, being a continuous band, is free from joints, and therefore much more durable and better for withstanding the longitudinal strain upon the conveyer; secondly, that the sides, in addition to retaining the material, form rails or movable tracks to run upon the intermediate supporting pulleys or rollers; thirdly, VYthat the construction of the sides is such that they form rigid girders upon the loaded half of the conveyer, While at the same time they form continuous inside walls, which make a close joint with the bottom, and,I fourthly, that the continuous bottom is so arranged that it may pass around the end pulleys on. a circle, and therefore without injury, while the sides remain straight.Y

It will be evident that the construction of my improved conveyer may be varied in de- Y tails without departing from the spirit of my invention. Therefore, without limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangements of parts shown and described,

I claim- 1. A continuous-trough conveyer having a bottom composed of acontinuous band and sides composed of plate-sections pivotally connected to each other, substantially as described.

2. In a continuous-trough conveyor, the combination, with the end pulleys and the continuous bottom strip, of side sections pivotally connected with the bottom strip at points exterior to said strip, whereby the bottom is permitted to curve in passing round the pulleys, substantially as described.

3. In a continuous-trough conveyer, the combination, with the bottom strip and the end pulleys, of cross-bars attached to the eX- v pulleys, of the overlapping inner and` outer side sections 2 3 and the plates 8, connected to the outer sections 3, between the inner sections, whereby the sides of the upper portion of the trough are converted into rigid supporting-girders, substantially as described..

6. In a continuous-trough conveyer, the combination, with the bottom strip and the end pulleys,` of the overlapping side sections pivotally connected to the bottom and `the roller-supports 10, arranged betweenv the end pulleys, substantially as described.

7. In a continuous-trough conveyer, the combination, with theend pulleys '7, arranged in pairs and provided with peripheral sockets 6, of the endless bottom strip, the crossbars 4, connected. tothe bottom strip, the side pieces 2 3, having their overlapping portions pivoted upon the rounded ends of the crossbars,and the inner plates 8 and tie-bars 9connected to the outer plates 3substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aftix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES POLLOGK.

Witnesses:

W. S. PARSONS, PAUL J. SHnRwoon.

ICO 

